Everest, Inc.

The Renegades and Rogues Who Built an Industry at the Top of the World

By: Will Cockrell

Narrated by: Pete Simonelli

Featuring original interviews with Everest mountain guides and climbers, this is “a fast-moving, nuanced account of the peak’s transformation from the ultimate mountaineering challenge into a booming business opportunity” (Joshua Hammer, New York Times bestselling author).

Anyone who has read Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air or has seen a recent photo of climbers standing in line to get to the top of Everest may think they have a sense of what the world’s highest mountain is like. It’s an extreme landscape where bad weather and incredible altitude can kill; an overcrowded, trashed-out recreation destination; and a place where the rich exploit local Sherpas while padding their egos—and social media feeds.

There’s some truth to these clichés, but they’re a sliver of the story. Unlike any book to date, Everest, Inc. is the definitive account of how a few daring entrepreneurs paired raw courage and naked ambition to get paying clients safely up and down Everest. Until the late eighties, such a thing was considered impossible. Within a few years, Everest guiding was a burgeoning industry. Today, ninety percent of the people on the mountain are clients or employees of guided expeditions.

Studded with quotes from original interviews with more than a hundred Western and Sherpa climbers, clients, writers, and filmmakers—including Jimmy Chin and Conrad Anker—Everest, Inc. foregrounds the colorful voices of the people who have made the mountain what it is today. As professional climber and author Freddie Wilkinson says, “Whether you are thinking about taking a crack at the world’s highest peak or are simply an armchair mountaineer trying to make sense of the complex dynamics driving the modern Everest industry, Everest, Inc. should be required reading.”

Critic reviews

"Pete Simonelli’s performance is perfect. His voice is slightly gruff yet eminently likable, and he has just the right combination of enthusiasm and notes of wry amusement."

Excellent summation of guiding history on Everest

A great counter balance to Into thin air, which was an excellent read, and Krakauer is a great writer, but he is cynical, critical, and thin skinned. This book provides a balanced perspective on the history and culture of guiding on Everest. I didn’t think I needed to listen to another Everest book, but I am very glad I gave this book a listen.

Interesting deeper dig

I’ve read a lot of Everest and climbing books, this one has some interesting deeper digs into history and details beyond the normal epics.

Deepen my appreciation and knowledge of the mountain. Took everything I knew about Everest to the next level.

I enjoyed the book. Nothing to dislike. Want to hear more from this writer. A smooth listen

Great read.

Refreshing to finally get a different narrative and perspective on Everest. I found it to be well researched and written. And the narration was very good. It is not your usual Everest book and that certainly sets it apart from the numerous other books on the same topic.

the business side of Everest summitting

It answers many questions and it Fills daps that romantic documentaries don’t have time to explain.

Only if you are an avid mountaineer

Honestly it became quite boring as more and more climbers and guides enter the story - like rinse and repeat. Even the narrator sounds like he is tired of trying to make it sound new each time.